Summer Reading

Hello Incoming 7th Graders!​ Welcome to the wonderful world of language arts! My name is Mrs. Miller, and we are going to have a ton of fun and learn a lot this year in class! To kick-off your seventh grade year, I am asking that you read Posted by John David Anderson. It’s entertaining with lots of humor in it! I promise you that it won’t be boring! I know the idea of reading over the summer doesn’t sound like a day at the beach, but seriously, this is one of those books that you will enjoy reading. In addition to reading over the summer, I am asking that you complete a project to show that you know what happens in the book. I have attached the directions for this project.

​Right now, you’re probably asking why you need to read over the summer AND complete a project. Well, here’s just a few reasons why:

Reading over the summer improves your reading skills.

We can hit the ground running with language arts next year since we have all already read the book!

It helps me to connect with you before the start of school, which will leave you feeling less stressed/nervous on the first day of school.

Completing this assignment will show you a little bit of how language arts works in 7th grade.

It’s just plain fun!

If you have ANY questions over the summer, please feel free to email me anytime. I will do my best to respond to you as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this book and project, and I cannot wait to see you when we return!

As you read your book, Posted by John David Anderson, I encourage you to take notes, mark-up pages, and/or use sticky tabs to remember important ideas that appear in each chapter. Once you finish reading, select one (but if you want to do more, go for it!) out of the ten options listed below to complete. There is no length requirement for any of the options, but please be sure to put your best effort forward. This is your first graded assignment for 7th grade language arts, so select an option that shows off your understanding of the book and your creativity! This project will be due Thursday, August 30th!

Make a playlist for the movie with an explanation for each song choice: Submit a list of at least ten songs, including both the title and artist, and explain why this song fits with a character or a certain part of the book. Please be sure that all songs are appropriate for school!

Create a movie commercial/trailer podcast: Create a video commercial or an audio podcast that summarizes the big ideas of the story. Get creative - use puppets, real people, sound effects - the sky’s the limit!

Turn the book into a short play: Write out (or even better, grab some friends or family members and act it out!) a script in a short play. It should be written in the correct format for a script.

Write a letter to the head of a production company convincing them to make a movie out of the book: Write a persuasive letter to the head of a production company explaining why this book should be made into a movie. Be sure to write your letter in the correct format for a business letter.

Be a talk show host interviewing a character: This is an interesting one! Grab and friend or family member who is familiar with the book and characters and host an interview. Be sure to video record it! I suggest you you practice before recording and write out your questions and the responses before filming. Get creative!

Create a graphic novel version of the book: This one is for all the artists out there! Summarize the major events in the story.

Create a rap/song summary: You may write out your song, but I would love to see the live version of it! If you don’t record it, I will ask that you give a live performance for the class! Be sure to include the main events and big ideas from the story.

Be a newscaster reporting the story or a journalist writing a news story for the local paper: Pretend you are on the scene interviewing a witness to the events, or you may be sitting at a news desk reporting on the story. Either way, be sure to get it on camera! If you do not want to do a recording, write up a short news article that tells the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the story.

Link a real social/societal problem that relates to the story and explain its effects on middle school students: Identify a real-world problem or issue and explain how it relates to the story. Be sure to include how this issue impacts the lives of middle school students. This should read like a newspaper editorial.​

Write an advice column for the characters: Pretend a character has submitted a letter to a newspaper asking for advice about a problem, and then respond to the question. You should select at least three main characters in order to have three different advice column questions and answers.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.